


Interpol, Hacksaw, Anything...

by nausicaa82



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-26
Updated: 2012-12-26
Packaged: 2017-11-22 11:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/609541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nausicaa82/pseuds/nausicaa82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s Tony and Steve’s first Christmas as a couple, and they have no clue on what to get each other. Luckily they have a very wise and patient friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. December 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd, I welcome people politely pointing out mistakes so I may correct them.

Steve sat at the breakfast table tapping his pen on the blank page of his notebook. He bit on half of his lower lip as he stared intently at the page, tapping faster and faster until a firm hand on his shoulder caused him to jump in his seat.

“What’s wrong, Cap?”

“Where in the hell did you come from? One of these days I’m going to deck you when you sneak up on me like that; my instincts will take over and then you’ll be out cold on the floor…and why would you think something is wrong, Clint?” Steve’s voice dropped on the last part.

“One, I came from the training room; two, it’s been my observation that your instincts are more on the protective side than the aggressive side, so I’m not too worried; and three…” Clint paused as he grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter and started to peel it with one of his pocket knives. “…you are taping out SOS, Steve.”

“It’s December 1st.”

“And your ship is sinking?”

Steve shook his head, “No, I just have no idea what to get Tony for Christmas.”

“It’s December 1st. I don’t even start thinking about presents until the 23rd or so, if even then.” Clint put the prepped apple in Steve’s hand before slipping his knife back into his pants.

“ _Clint_.”

“What?”

“I’ve only been with Tony for a few months. Tony Stark. This is a minefield. He’s like the richest man on the East Coast maybe the whole country. Anything he needs, he just gets and in spades. Three days ago he wanted some apple juice so he bought an orchard upstate.” Steve gesticulated and now noticed the fruit in his hand. He shook it at Clint. “An _entire_ apple orchard!”

Clint nodded his head in fake sympathy for a moment until his eyes shifted towards the doorway. “Ah! Thank God! Here’s the Calvary!” Natasha and Bruce walked in and sat at the empty chairs.

“We heard there was a ‘Christmas emergency’…” Bruce made air quotes with his fingers while staring at Clint.

“Where could you have even heard that?” Steve snapped his head between his teammates coming in and the one sitting next to him.

“Clint texted us.” Natasha said.

“When did you…? How could you..?”

“Steve, I always hit my target: be it a freaky space alien with an arrow, or a keypad with just one finger. I’d like to see Tony do this on his little touch screen!!” Clint now pulled his right hand back out of his pocket revealing his phone and that he was sending a text as they were speaking. Steve felt the slight vibration of his own.

“’We r going 2 help u.’” Steve read aloud. “Thanks. That’s really comforting, Clint.” Steve said sarcastically.

“Ok, ok, ok. We have figured out how we got the communication. So is there an actual emergency or did you pull me away on false pretenses?” Bruce asked.

“You tell me— Steve doesn’t know what to get Tony for Christmas.” Clint chuckled.

Bruce knitted his brows, and Natasha pursed her lips.

“You were right to call us. This is going to be tricky and due to Tony being involved, overly complicated.” Natasha said.

 “You must have misheard me; this situation is a grown man who doesn’t know what to give his boyfriend for a holiday that is weeks away!”

“It’s practically a minefield.” Bruce said.

“THANK YOU! That’s what I was telling him! What could I possibly give to the man who can buy anything he needs?” Steve said.

“Or who can invent the things that aren’t available to buy?” Natasha added.

“But it is more than just that. There’s also the Gift Balance Ratio. Think of the present he’s getting for Steve. The only thing he likes buying more than a toy for himself is a toy for someone else. He’s not going to get Steve some Fossil watch. It’ll be a Rolex, or some designer us common folks have never even heard of. You don’t want the awkwardness of a bad GBR, Steve.” Bruce started tapping on his own hand as if he was calculating their next move.

“Is he getting me a new watch?” Steve asked.

“I… I don’t know. That was just an example. Hell, Tony would most likely not buy you a watch but instead just make one that… Hey! Why don’t you make him something? Handmade gifts carry more heft so you could have a chance against Tony’s deep pockets. Perhaps a drawing or painting?”

“I thought about that; I used to give my mother and Bucky drawings for birthdays and Christmas. But for Tony, I wanted his Christmas gift to be special.  I give him drawings all the time. Well, I don’t offer them. When I’m sketching in the lab, he sees them, snatches them away, and then asks to keep them. How can I say no to those big puppy-dog eyes?”

Clint rolled his eyes. “I think my blood sugar just spiked.”

“Maybe Tony needs a new scarf? I could knit him one.” Steve offered.

“Christmas is when you give your lover something he desires, not something he needs. Which is good as Tony doesn’t need a new scarf or anything really, but difficult because anything Tony desires, he just purchases or creates.” Natasha said.

“You should make him something he desires but doesn’t know he wants, like something he couldn’t buy, but not art.” Clint offered. Natasha and Bruce gave a quizzical look.

Steve’s eyes lit up but then immediately fell back to his blank sheet of paper. “Too bad I can’t write amazing songs like Tony does, ‘cause those fit that bill for me”  The three team mates gave each other silent warning looks Steven didn’t see. “I wish I could make him a really sweet song that makes him feel warm and happy…”

“Hey! You don’t have to create a new song, just make him a play-list of songs that make you think of him or that express how you feel about him.” Clint offered.

“Not a play-list, you can’t wrap that. Burn him a CD.” Natasha said.

“You are all so young. No. What Tony Stark, _Wunderkind_ of the 80s, should get is a mix-tape. A little packet of perfection made of plastic and ribbon. You can even draw a cover for it.” Bruce said.

“That sounds good, but…” Steve sighed and softly scratched at the bridge of his nose, trying to come up with the right phrase. “I have no idea what you are talking about… will you guys help me?”

“I’d love to help, but I have plans for today; maybe later this week if you still need it.” Natasha replied.

“Her plans for today involve me, and I think we’re going to be late unless we get going…so…” Clint shrugged. As they neared the door Natasha elbowed him in the ribs.

“Listen, I’ll help you, Steve.  But, I haven’t made a tape since I was an undergraduate. There are rules to this kind of thing. To do it right, it’s a lot harder than you would think. ‘You are using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.’”

Steve gave him a blank look. Then Bruce stood up, took the skinned apple out of Steve’s hand. “Ok! Obviously, first thing we need to do is a little background research, are you up for a movie?” He bit into the apple and smiled.


	2. December 12th

“Bruce, do you know what time it is?”

Bruce looked up from the nematodes he had just pinned and towards the wall. “It’s-----,” he twisted his head around the lab looking for a clock.

“It’s time for a coffee break!  Let’s go to the café down the block. My treat. Clint told me they have a new coffee they are testing that is ridiculously expensive. So it’ll almost be like we are doing an experiment…a really expensive yummy tasting experiment.”

Bruce’s excuse was at the back of his throat, but he _had_ wanted to try the new coffee. “Sure, Tony.”

As they grabbed their coats and headed towards the elevator to leave, the doors chimed and Thor stepped into the room.

“Greetings, friends! Are you adventuring this afternoon?” His eyes popped slightly at the word ‘adventure.’

“We are just getting some coffee. Hey you wanna join us?” Bruce asked.

“Yes, verily!”

Tony gave a slight glare at Bruce for just a second before a plastic smile replaced it. The walk was quick as the wind had picked up since that morning. By the time they got in the café, Bruce had turned his coat collar up and was clutching it at his Adam’s apple. The music playing over the speakers was that modern crooner whose name Bruce could never quite remember.

“Hey, Thor, it’s crowded, why don’ t you grab us a table, and I’ll get your drink.”

“Thank you, Tony. I shall not fail you in this quest.” He then smiled and then taking long strides made his way towards the back of the café. Tony and Bruce took their place in line. Tony intensely held his gaze forward while Bruce tried to talk to him.

“So, I’ve been looking into the neurological responses of outside stimuli in hopes of trying to----“

“Now just what have you been doing with _my_ Steve for the past two weeks?” Tony interrupted, still not looking at the now rapidly blinking Bruce.

“What?”

“Bruce, please. Suddenly, you and Steve have started you own little club…. watching movies, going on little outings to Brooklyn, spending hours in his quarters – your laughter carrying all the way to the stair---“ Tony bit his tongue to stop himself from saying anything more.

“You’ve been lurking in the stairwell when Steve and I have been…” Tony finally turned his head, eyebrow arched, daring Bruce to finish the sentence.

“…hanging out. “ Bruce finished.

“Oh, so some part of you has been hanging out?”

“ _Tony!_ We are just hanging out –as friends—nothing…nothing funky is going on. We…we are just working on...”

Tony licked the bottom of his lip, his mouth curling slightly. He was holding his breath and his pupil dilated.

“What may I get started for you?” the pretty raven haired woman behind the counter broke Bruce’s confession. He startled as he hadn’t realized they’d got to the counter already. Tony sighed and clenched his fist in frustration at the interruption but pushed his public smile through.

“Three large Costa Rica Finca Palmilera, please.”

“Sure thing, sir. That’ll be $32.50.”

Tony handed over a hundred and took Bruce by the elbow towards the end of the counter. As the woman called after him for his change, he kept smiling and just waved it off. “I don’t like the bulk.”

“Now Bruce, what were you saying?” Tony hissed low into his ear.

“I am not doing anything with Steve that you need to worry about.”

“What exactly are you two working on?”

“Three Palmileras,” a tall barista called.

Tony turned his attention towards the counter. “That was fast,” there was a slight complaint in his voice.

“Do you expect anything less when you leave a 200% tip?”

“Touché.”

Bruce saw his opportunity for escape, grabbed his drink, and walked to the back where Thor had found a table away from the other patrons. Tony trailed behind him.

“Tony! Was it a success?”

“Getting our coffees, yeah…we got the coffee.” Tony replied as he handed a cup to the blond and sat.

“No, no! The game. Did it work?”

Tony slightly shook his head while pressing one finger to his lips.

Bruce knitted his brow. “What game?”

“To find out about Steve’s present for Tony.”

Tony was now looking at Bruce, batting his eyelashes, smiling, and biting the tip of his finger.

“You fucking bastard! You never thought Steve and I were….were… What the hell??” Bruce hissed.

Tony chuckled and took a sip of his drink. “Nat taught me that--damn, this coffee is really good, go on and drink it now while it is at this perfect temperature--It _almost_ worked, an integration technique, bait and switch as it were, usually very effective.. at least when your cover isn’t blown. Just what is the Asgardian non-verbal signal for ‘shut the fuck up?’”

Thor chuckled. “I knew your plan would not work Tony. The doctor is too smart to be fooled by your pitiful attempts at deception. You should have just asked him directly.”

“For your information, I am very good at deception when I need to be and hindsight, _et cetera_ , _et cetera_. So Bruce, what _is_ Steve making me for Christmas?”

“Who said he is making something?”

“He is spending hours up in his room instead of down in my lab with me. If he was just buying a gift that would take no more than an afternoon, and I may or may not have been investigating the stairwell and overheard him talking about how much work was involved with ‘it.’ Besides, if it was for someone else, he would have already told me.” Tony finally stopped and took a breath.

“That’s very logical; you figured that all out.” Bruce looked almost impressed.

“I am a genius, after all.”

“But…” Bruce leaned in closer to whisper “you aren’t genius enough to figure out your gift without trying to upset me, are you?” He then punched Tony not so softly on the arm.

“OW! Why do you have to hit so hard?”

“I gotta blow off a little steam every now and then, right?”

Tony sighed and rubbed at his aching bicep. “I am sorry for pretending I was upset about you and Steve having a tryst. OK ok, I won’t try to get it out of you what he’s doing, but please Brucie, will you at least help me figure out what to get for him?”

“You haven’t picked out Steve’s gift, yet?”

“This is Steve Rogers, Bruce.” Tony sat down his cup. “What gift can you give perfection incarnate? What doesn’t look like a trinket or pathetic bobble? He doesn’t have a desire for much of anything – has that thing about being content with what he has. Remember when I found out he was using his pocket knife to sharpen his pencils? I ordered him a sharpener, and you would have thought I had bought him a private island the way he blushed and tried to give it back for twenty minutes, saying it was too much.”

“Steve is a great and true warrior; he desires to protect all he can. Why not help in his desire and design a new upgrade to his suit?” Thor offered.

“Well, I wasn’t thinking and played that hand too early; I just did an upgrade on his armor after the zombie turkeys last month.”

“Hmmm, perhaps then it would be more wise to give Steve something he needs rather than desires. Do you agree, Bruce?” Thor looked over at the doctor who was staring intently at his cup.

“I…I don’t want to let slip Steve’s gift. It isn’t my secret to give, it is his. But, I think I can make some generalities of things you should think on about Steve.” Bruce didn’t raise his eyes as he spoke. “He is still that poor kid from Brooklyn in a lot of ways, and any gift he gives is going to have a lot of thought and meaning behind it. It isn’t just the object for him, but how it makes you _feel._ When Steve gives a scarf it is more about the soft warm feelings you would have when wearing the scarf rather than the yarn itself.”

“Is Steve knitting me a scarf?” Tony interrupted.

“I…I don’t know. God, you two are perfect for each other. That was just an example; it doesn’t matter.  It’s the feelings he wants to give you and the object is just a means to that end. What feelings do you want Steve to have, Tony?” Bruce asked.

Tony took a long drink of his coffee, finishing it off. “You know… the standard--loved, adored, like I would do anything for him. Anything, including suffering myself for his happiness.”

The three men were silent as they drank and thought. Tony noticed the piped in music for the first time.

_Oh the weather outside is frightful…_

Tony rolled his yes. “Why is Michael Bublé now the go-to for stores in December?”

“That’s his name!” Bruce’s eyes lit up as he snapped his fingers.

“What happened to Bring Crosby or hell even Mariah Carey? I swear the only person I’ve ever met who likes this guy is Steve. This one time I caught him dancing and singing to “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” while he was chopping some vegetables for a meatloaf.”  

“Why not buy Steve all the Bubbly recordings?” Thor said.

“I think I saw that he’s having a holiday show at the Garden next week; you could take him.” Bruce offered.

“Cute attempt on both accounts, really. But for my Steve, I’ll have Bublé play a private show for the two of us. Steve will be so excited, and I’ll fly in Achatz from Chicago to make dinner. He owes me a favor.” Tony pulled out his phone and started texting.

“Tony, don’t you think it’s a bit much?” Tony looked up from his phone.

“When you’re right, you’re right, Brucie. Steve won’t like modern deconstructionist cuisine; he would like something simpler, more traditional. Oh! Oh! I think Pépin is already in New York this month.”

“TONY! I think you’re going a bit overboard with this; I mean, how are you even going to get them to come on such short notice?”

Tony batted his eyes and smiled innocently. “Oh, I have my ways, if enough green doesn’t interest them, Pepper will just kidnap them. We’ll chain Pepin to the stove; Bublé to the stage.”

“You’re actually giving Steve a _Simpsons’_ episode for Christmas?” Bruce asked.

“Well, how about that? It seems as if I am. Good thing Steve hasn’t seen any of them yet! I’ve got to jet; got a dinner to plan. Maybe chicken or a beef tenderloin? I trust I have both of your confidences about the matter. I want to see Steve’s shock when the band starts playing in the atrium. Enjoy the rest of that coffee. I’m ordering some for the tower. See you at home.” Tony got to his feet while still texting and started to leave.

It all happened so fast that Bruce was trying to process what all had just gone on. Bruce startled when Tony surprised him by clamping down on his shoulders, leaning over behind him, and whispering in his ear. “Thanks for your help, Brucie. You’re been very admirable, and I’m sure Santa will hear about it.” Then Tony actually left the room.  

After a minute of just looking at their drinks, Bruce finally made eye contact with Thor.

“I think I just enabled an epic Christmas disaster for my two best friends.”


	3. December 24th

The tower had been unusually quiet the weeks following the conversation at the café. SHIELD had called Clint and Natasha on a mission in Eastern Europe without an estimate of their return. Jane at the last minute had convinced Thor to join her in New Mexico instead of her coming to New York so they could go skiing in the mountains. Bruce was a bit sad at the situation as he liked talking to another dark haired scientist even if it was not the same as what he really wanted.

Tony was just absent. He had responsibilities with the company and squirreled in his lab when at the tower. Bruce hadn’t been able to corner Tony to lead him off his Burnsian plan, always just having missed him. The only person Bruce ever saw was Steve each morning at breakfast. Steve had finished his gift for Tony but didn’t have much time outside of the early morning to spend with Bruce anymore.

Furry had pushed for Steve to be the face of the Avengers since he was cool-tempered, good-looking, and the only one without anything else to distract him. He was booked solid for public appearances at food drives, charity balls, and VA clinics. Bruce now fully understood why Steve had wanted to get his Christmas gifts in order so early in the season.  

While the quiet was odd, Bruce actually welcomed the peace the others’ absences caused. Usually, without the distraction of others’ company, he would dwell on his loneliness, but his tests were becoming more and more rewarding. He was making good progress with the nematodes, spending longer and longer in his lab. One evening he was startled by a knock at the lab’s door.

“Bruce?”

“Hey, Steve, what brings you down here this evening?”

“Bruce…”

“Yes, Steve?”

“Bruce, it’s not evening. It’s eight in the morning. Have you been in here all night?”

Bruce blinked for a few seconds, realizing how tired he suddenly felt. “Christ, I got distracted by my tests and pulled a Stark.”

Steve chuckled and the tension in his shoulders melted. “When you weren’t there for breakfast this morning, I was worried something had happened.”

“I’m really sorry, Cap. Not reporting for egg duty; I’ll have to make it up to you.” Bruce smiled and then made a move to put away his supplies and notes from the night’s tests.

“That is just what I wanted to hear! You can make it up to me by having Christmas Eve dinner with us tonight!”

“Oh man, it’s Christmas Eve?”

“All day.” Steve smirked.

“Us?”

“Tony and me.”

Bruce dropped the glass slides he had collected off the table, and Steve rushed forward to help.

“Sorry, I must be more tired than I thought.” Bruce’s head was racing; tonight was supposed to be the surprise concert and Steve was going to mess it up Tony’s surprise by having Bruce there. “You know, Steve, I’m feeling so tired, I’m not sure I’d be good company, and I have a lot to do here in the lab.”

“Bruce, I’m making lasagna, picking up a cheesecake this afternoon, and not taking ‘no’ for an answer.” Steve used his commanding voice that Bruce really considered to be cheating.

Bruce took a few measured breaths. This didn’t sound like Tony’s plan at all. Maybe Tony had changed his mind about the dinner, or maybe Pepper couldn’t kidnap Bublé across the Canadian/US border.

“Ok, ok. I’d love to eat dinner with you guys tonight. What time?”

“1900 hours, and Tony requested we dine in the atrium tonight, so…”

“The atrium?” Bruce’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, it should be extra festive. I saw a crew putting up Christmas lights and other decorations yesterday. We’ll go ahead and exchange our gifts tonight, too. Tony says his presents to us are gonna knock our socks off.”

Bruce braced himself on the edge of the table.

“Hey, you are fading fast. I’ll help you up to your room. Need you to be all rested up for tonight, Bruce. Remember, I’ll take no excuses.” Steve smiled as he took Bruce’s elbow leading him to the elevator door.

\----

A little after 5 pm, Bruce’s phone started buzzing erratically and danced towards the edge of the nightstand. Bruce sleepily reached for his glasses and then caught his phone right before it went over the edge. He had seven texts from Tony.

5:02- S told me about this morning.  

5:02- It shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

5:03- If there isn’t enough tenderloin, you can eat the lasagna.

5:04- But I won’t have you ruining the look Pep created.

5:04- Wear a coat and tie.

5:04- Better yet, a suit.

5:05- Your nice suit.

Bruce stretched and moved from the bed to the small alcove in his bedroom. He sat cross-legged on the large cushion on the floor and lit the incense on the small table in front of him. He cast his eyes down and started to focus on counting his breathing.

He could not get beyond four before his mind began to worry about the dinner. Tony had gone overboard and Steve was going to feel embarrassed. Tony had wanted it just to be the two of them and Bruce’s presence was going to be awkward. Bublé was going to be chained to the stage. This was going to be a disaster.   

After ten minutes of trying to focus, Bruce gave up and put out the incense with his thumb and forefinger. He headed towards his bathroom to get ready for the evening.

\---

Bruce was already a few minutes late; he ran down the hall towards the open double doors. When he reached them, he came to a sudden stop. The atrium seemed magical with thousands of twinkle lights on every tree and plant in the room accentuated with gold and silver bows ribbons. Against the far wall Bruce saw the small stage that must have been built just the day before, a drum kit and piano there. In front of the stage plenty of empty floor space. Bruce’s awe of the scene became overshadowed by confusion at the four place settings on the large round table half the distance of the room. He walked towards it running possible names through his head.

“You’re finally here!” Tony exclaimed. Bruce turned to the bar behind him in the corner where Tony and Steve were standing. Both smiled at Bruce, and Steve beckoned for him to join them. Bruce absent-mindedly straightened his tie when he saw the suits on his two teammates.

“Merry Christmas, Bruce!” Steve couldn’t stop smiling as he moved to reveal three wrapped presents on the bar.  

“Dinner will be served shortly, and I think if we wait one moment longer to exchange gifts, Steve will have an aneurysm. That would really put a crimp in my plans for later, so…. here, this one is from Steve.” Tony handed Bruce a small white box with red ribbon on it.

Bruce opened it to find a steel-gray sleek wristwatch with a circle at the top of the face.

“Oh Steve, this is just...It’s…”

“It’s a Movado.  The design is based off of one I saw at the MoMA last spring. When I saw it, I thought of you- striking and modern.”

“Not to mention now you’ll be more aware of the time.” Tony cut in.

“Thank you, Steve.” Bruce reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Funny, I actually got you a VIP museum membership to MoMA- you can arrange to visit on Tuesdays. I thought…I thought you would like not having a crowd looking at you while you were trying to look at the exhibits.”

“I didn’t even know you could do something like this.” Steve stammered.

“Helps to know the right name to drop.”

“Mine?” Tony offered.

“No, actually… the ladies were very excited about giving private tours when I mentioned it would be for Captain America.”

Steve chuckled as Tony’s eyes narrowed. “You and I are going to have a talk Bruce, I don’t think I like you dropping my boyfriend’s name around, even if it is to get him a really neat gift that should have been something I thought of first, by the way. Here.” He thrust a slightly larger box into Bruce’s hands. Tony had wrapped it in shiny gold paper with this same red ribbon as Steve’s. “I do hope you like it.”

Bruce tore through the paper; inside was a soft, purple rectangle.

“I MADE YOU A SCARF!” Tony exclaimed, his eyes wide.

“You, Tony Stark, knitted me a scarf?”

“Yes! Well, Steve helped with the beginning and the end and the fringe bits, but I picked the yarn, it’s cashmere, and the middle is all me.”

“This is great, Tony. I needed a scarf, and I love this color. Thank you. I just hope you like my gift as much as I like this.” Bruce looked down at his shoes as he took the other small package out of his pocket.

Tony bounced the gift in his hands for a few moments.

“It feels like a puppy.”

“Just open it.” Bruce instructed.

Tony carefully peeled back the paper to reveal a tattered paperback.

“What is it?” Steve asked.

“It’s _I, Robot_ … a collection of short stories about science and robots from the 1950’s.” Tony replied looking at the cover.

“Look inside.” Bruce instructed.

“’To a great scientist, best of luck, Issac Asimov’” Tony read aloud. “Where did you find this?”

“I got it a few years back. He came and spoke at my college when I was an undergrad and…” Bruce was full on blushing now. “I think you’d be the only person who would love this more than I do. Besides, I’m only a good scientist, not a great one like you.”

Steve made a face at Bruce’s self-depreciation, but Tony’s eyes were starting to shine.

“Thank you, Bruce. I’d feel bad that I only gave you a home-made scarf, but…” Steve made a motion to someone behind Bruce. “Since you helped us so much with our gifts for each other, we got you a little something extra.”

Bruce spun around towards the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor. His breath stopped, and the presents in his hands fell to the floor.

“Betty?” it was barely a whisper.

“Hey Bruce.” She bit at her bottom lip as she smiled at him. His eyes kept scanning her, her long dark hair, her gorgeous skin, the most beautiful dress he had ever seen her in. There must have been a mistake, he thought. He hadn’t been _that_ good this year. Steve reached down to pick up the scarf and watch just in time for Tony to push the frozen Bruce towards her.

“How are you even here?”

“Actually, I’m not here.”

“You’re not here?”

“No, she’s in Vermont, spending Christmas with an old college friend.” Steve explained.

“At least, that’s the story my father thinks.”

Bruce timidly reached out to pull Betty into a hug, afraid to touch her least she evaporate into nothingness.

“I’ve missed you so much, my darling.” He whispered into her ear.

“I missed you, too.” She kissed on his neck and cheek.

They stood there holding each other for minute until Tony cleared his throat, and their attention shifted back over to the bar.

“There is still one more present to open--for Betty, from Steve and me.” Tony handed her the blue envelope with a bow on it. She opened it to find an itinerary. “It’s a week in Aspen. You two will be taking my plane in the morning, we’ve got you a cabin, dinner reservations, a car; everything has been arranged.”

“Tony! That’s too much. We can’t take this.” Bruce protested.

“Speak for yourself. If you don’t want to come, you don’t have to, but I’m going.” Betty pulled back away from him. Steve covered his mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. Tony just raised his eyebrow.

“Ok, yes, of course I want to go to Aspen with you. Hell, I’d go anywhere with you, as long as we were safe.” Bruce smiled and pulled her back towards him.

“Well, since that’s settled, I think we better get this double date going before we get too off schedule. Steve and I are leaving for Hawaii at 10 sharp.” Tony clapped his hands. “JARVIS, please tell the band ‘it’s show time’ and have the first course brought out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Wait, aren’t you going to give Tony your gift, Steve?” Bruce asked as the four of them made their way to the table.

“Actually…” Steve blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, “I had to give Tony his mix-tape a week ago. I…um… accidently found out about tonight’s entertainment. It wasn’t fair to make him wait.”

“Betty, Bruce helped Steve make me a wonderful mix-tape of songs I hadn’t heard in years, decades really. Believe it or not, I never actually got a mix-tape before. I felt like I was in college again, but this time with a ridiculously attractive boyfriend. He even drew a cover for it.”

The band started warming up and Michael Bublé walked up to the microphone. “Merry Christmas to all of you here tonight. We are here to give Steve Rogers plenty of opportunities to dance his heart out, so Steve make your choice and get out here on the floor.”

The band got quiet for a moment then started in on the first song. Steve smiled and kissed Tony on the cheek. “Thank you, Tony.  This is exactly what I wanted.” He then turned towards Betty, “may I have the first dance?”

“I would love to.” She smiled and offered her hand. Watching their dates out on the floor, Bruce leaned in towards a slightly pouting Tony.

“How did Steve find out? Did you let it slip; was this another “I am Iron Man” situation?”

“Ha! This time, no. Bublé up there tweeted something about it.”

“Steve’s on Twitter?”

“Surprised me, too.”

“And the texts this afternoon?”

“I told you I am very good at deception when I need to be. I wanted you to come, but I didn't want you to know that it was going to be a bit different than how I originally planned. But I’m glad it turned out like this, and I'm glad Steve found out about tonight though, it was his idea to make it a double date.”

Tony and Bruce smiled as Steve dipped a giggling Betty. He pulled her back up and winked over at the men at the table.

“I’m glad, too, Tony.” Bruce sighed, “I am, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I'm actually a fan of Michael Bublé.   
> 2\. Bruce shows Steve the movie 'High Fidelity'  
> 3\. The Simpsons episode referenced is "Marge Gets a Job"  
> 4\. This is the watch Steve got Bruce: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/movado-large-bold-chronograph-bracelet-watch/3437739


End file.
